Wire stretcher



Patented June 17, 1924.

HENRY A. LOWERY, OF JUNCTION CITY. ARKANSAS.

WIRE srnnmonnza.

Application filed March 22, 1923. Serial No. 626,831.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. LOWERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Junction City, in the county of Union and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Stretcher-s; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a stretcher of the type used in connection with the wires and Wire fabrics of fences, analogous materials and uses.

It is aimed to provide a novel inexpensive, durable and efficient construction having a draw rod or bar and a frame mounting it in a novel manner, with the draw bar adapted to rest on a stake or prop driven into the ground to thus maintain the stretcher-elevated at one end.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following taken in connection with accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the invention in use in connection with a fragmentarily shown fence, and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the stretcher.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, a fence post is shown at A to which a wire fabric or the like B is to be fastened and to be stretched to take up slack or facilitate such fastening. These parts are to be taken as conventional as is obvious.

In reducing the invention to practice, a suitable frame is provided at 10 which is preferably of open endless formation and made for instance of metallic pipe and into Uforin with its bridge at 11 and its legs or bars at 12. At the end 0 posite to bridge 11 a cross bar 13 is provide which is brazed or otherwiserigidly connected to the bars 12. Bar 13 is of metal and a similar bar is provided at 14, preferably midway of the bar 13 and bridge 11 and brazed or otherwise rigidly connected to the bars 12. Each bar 12 in its upper surface is provided with a series of notches 15 and it will be noted that the notches of one bar 12 are disalined with respect to the opposite bar 12. A suitable lug spur on bridge 11 as at 16 is used to penetrate the post A to maintain that end of the frame elevated with respect to the ground.

A draw bar 17 is slidably mounted through openings 18 and 19 provided through the cross bars 13 and 14. Draw bar 17 loosely rests in a notch 21 at the upper end of a stake or prop 20 which is adapted to penetrate the ground in order to support the adjacent end of the stretcher in elevated or operative position. The other end of draw bar 17 has a coupling in the form of a metallic chain 22, for instance, hooked as at 23 to said draw bar 17 and hooked as at 24 to the fabric B. The hooks 23 and 24 form detachable connections as will be realized.

An operating lever is provided at 25 having its free or manipulating end extending above the frame 10. This lever is pivoted by a horizontal pin 26 on the draw bar 17 and it has pawls 27 pivoted to it by horizontal pins as at 28 and adapted to alternately engage the notches 15 of the upper and lower bars 12 during manipulation in order to impart a step-by-step rearward movement to the draw bar 17 which slides in notch 21 and pulls or draws the fabric B across the post, thus stretching the fabric, and holding it in position while the fabric is being stapled or otherwise fastened to post A. While the rearward movement of the draw bar 17 moves or displaces the prop 20 to some extent, yet the movement is insufficient to completely displace the prop 20 or destroy its support of the stretcher at the rear end.

It will be realized that the bar 17, prop 20, lever 25 and pawls 27 are metallic like the parts of the frame 10.

Iclaim as my invention A stretcher having a frame provided with spaced longitudinal bars and a bridge connecting them at one end, said bridge being adapted for abutment with a support and provided with a spur for engagement with the support, cross bars in spaced relation connecting the longitudinal bars at a distance from the bridge, a draw bar slidably mounted in said cross bars, a flexible coupling extending from the draw bar at the forward end of the latter and in advance of the cross bars for attachment to the article to be stretched, said draw bar projecting rearwardly beyond the cross bars Where- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature by it be supported by a prop or the in presence of two Witnesses.

like, a lever pivoted en the draw bar, paWls on said lever, and said longitudinal bars having notches alternately engageable by the pawls to impart a step-bystep move ment to the draw bar.

HENRY A. LUWERY. Witnesses:

J. J. COUCH, S. W. LOWERY. 

